Over the weekend, Fulton County, Georgia, was hit by a cyberattack that sent shockwaves through the local government, particularly the offices of the District Attorney prosecuting former President Donald Trump on election interference charges (via NBC News).
Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts confirmed the incident, which paralyzed all county departments, including the district attorney's office, at a news briefing on Monday.
He revealed that the cyberattack affected the county's phones, courts, and tax systems, emphasizing that the situation arose as a result of a cybersecurity incident, which law enforcement is currently investigating.
Extent of the Cyberattack
This attack has caused significant disruption, rendering all desktop phones, intranet, and devices using county servers inoperable. The extent of the outage prompted county officials to issue an email notification to employees, notifying them of the situation and advising caution.
Chairman Pitts, addressing the media, stated, "We do not yet have a specific time frame for when these systems will be restored." This uncertainty adds a layer of concern, particularly considering the upcoming deadlines in the election interference case involving Trump and his co-defendants.
As the Fulton County Information Technology Department works to address the cyber incident, some county offices remain open, but certain transactions are limited.
Notably, the Fulton County VOIP phone systems are affected, rendering most offices unable to accept phone calls.
The downtown Atlanta office of the Fulton County Tax Commissioner is closed temporarily, with other offices restricted to processing motor vehicle renewals via kiosk and assisting customers with general questions.
Public computers at Fulton County Libraries are also temporarily unavailable, with online library systems, including the catalog, still accessible.
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No Sensitive Data Compromised
While there is an ongoing effort to ensure the security of sensitive information, Chairman Pitts assured the public that, as of now, there is no awareness of any transfer of such data about citizens or employees. This comes as a sigh of relief amidst the chaos caused by the cyberattack.
The FBI's involvement in the matter has been confirmed by a spokesperson for the agency's Atlanta field office. The statement, while not delving into specifics, underlines the routine collaboration between the FBI and local entities to address cyber threats.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, however, stated that it is not actively investigating the matter at this time.
Trump's Election Interference Trial
The timing of this cyberattack is particularly noteworthy, given the ongoing legal proceedings related to the alleged election interference by Trump and his co-defendants.
District Attorney Fani Willis, who is prosecuting the case, now faces an additional challenge as her office deals with the aftermath of the cyber incident.
There are looming deadlines for filings in the case, including a response from Willis to allegations of an improper relationship with the special prosecutor involved in the election case.
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